Methods of producing button-type batteries and a plurality of battery terminal housing members

ABSTRACT

A method of forming a button-type battery includes: a) providing an electrically conductive sheet having an exposed surface which is divisible into a plurality of areas; b) depositing an uncured electrically insulative gasket material onto the conductive sheet into a plurality of the areas, the gasket material being deposited to define at least one discrete pattern within the respective deposited areas, the respective discrete patterns covering less than a total of their respective areas; c) curing the deposited gasket material; d) cutting and forming a plurality of discrete first terminal housing members from the areas of the conductive sheet, the respective first terminal housing members comprising at least a portion of one of the discrete patterns of gasket material; d) providing a discrete electrically conductive second terminal housing member in facing juxtaposition to one of the first terminal housing members; e) providing an anode and a cathode having a separator and electrolyte positioned therebetween; the anode, cathode, separator and electrolyte being positioned intermediate the juxtaposed first and second terminal housing members; the anode being positioned to electrically connect with one of the first or second terminal housing members and the cathode being positioned to electrically connect with the other of the first or second terminal housing members; and f) crimping the first and second terminal housing members together into an enclosed battery housing with the gasket material being interposed between the first and second terminal housing members to provide a fluid-tight seal and to provide electrical insulation therebetween.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to methods of forming button-type batteries, andto methods of forming a plurality of battery terminal housing members.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Button-type batteries are small thin energy cells that are commonly usedin watches and other electronic devices requiring a thin profile. Aconventional button-type battery includes an anode, a cathode, a porousseparator separating the anode and cathode, and an electrolyte withinthe separator pores.

These internal battery components are housed within a metal casing orhousing formed by a lower conductive can and an upper conductive lid.The can is typically in electrical contact with the cathode to form thepositive battery terminal, and the lid is in electrical contact with theanode to form the negative battery terminal. The can and lid are crimpedor pressed together to form a fluid-tight seal which entirely enclosesthe anode, cathode, separator, and electrolyte. An electricallyinsulating sealing gasket is provided within the primary seal betweenthe lid and can to electrically insulate the two housing members.

There is a need in button-type battery usage to make such energy cellsthinner. Today, the thinnest commercially available button-type batteryhas a thickness of 1.2 mm (47.2 mils). It would be desirable to make athinner battery, particularly one having a thickness of less than 1 mm(39.4 mils). A countering concern, however, is that the integrity of thefluid-tight seal cannot be compromised simply to achieve the goal ofthinner batteries.

It is also an objective in button-type battery design to create ahousing structure which physically compresses the anode, separator, andcathode together to insure proper operation of the energy cell. This isin some cases accomplished in the prior art by a separate internalspring component which provides desired compressive forces.

It would be desirable to design improved button-type batteries of verythin profile which meet at least one or more of the above statedobjectives.

One prior art technique for forming the sealed casing includesseparately pre-forming each of the can, lid, and gasket. Duringassembly, the gasket must be aligned with and inserted into the can.Once the lid is positioned within the can, the can and gasket arecrimped about the lid to form the fluid-tight seal. The use of theseparate gasket which needs to be preformed and controllably insertedinto the can results in increased thickness, higher manufacturing costsand longer assembly times. It would be desirable to enable sizereduction, as well as reduce manufacturing costs and assembly time.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,896 to Feldhake discloses a technique for dippingthe peripheral flange portion of a battery lid into an epoxy resin toform an insulating seal. The epoxy is then cured over time or throughthermal techniques. While the Feldhake technique eliminates the separategasket, it does not improve assembly time due to the lengthy coating andcuring steps which also requires handling each part individually. Itwould therefore be desirable to provide a method for forming abutton-type battery which minimizes processing steps and assembly time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below withreference to the following accompanying drawings. The same componentsand features illustrated throughout the drawings are referenced withlike numerals.

FIG. 1 is a not-to-scale, diagrammatic, side sectional plan view ofsteps of a method in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is top view of a sheet being treated in accordance with the FIG.1 method steps, and corresponds in position to the stepsdiagrammatically evidenced by the FIG. 1 method.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic side sectional plan view of a stepconducted immediately subsequent the to the FIG. 1 series of steps

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a single battery terminalhousing member produced according to the steps shown by FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is a top view of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, more-to-scale, cross-sectional, exploded view ofa 20 mm diameter battery pre-assembly utilizing the FIGS. 4 and 5housing member.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the FIG. 6 assembly shown at aprocessing step subsequent to that shown by FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an assembled button-type batteryconstruction in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a peripheral sealingportion of the FIG. 8 assembly.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an alternate method stepin accordance with the invention.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of another alternate methodstep in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of corresponding to that of FIG. 9,but showing an alternate assembly produced by alternate steps inaccordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of theconstitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws "to promote the progressof science and useful arts" (Article 1, Section 8).

This invention principally concerns "coin" or "button-type" batteries. Abutton-type battery is typically a small circular-shaped energy cellapproximately the size of a coin. The button-type battery can beconstructed in different sizes, with typical diameters being 12 mm, 16mm, and 20 mm. Other shapes are possible, but the circular shape is mostcommon.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a method of forming abutton-type battery comprises the following steps:

providing an electrically conductive sheet having an exposed surface,the exposed surface being divisible into a plurality of areas;

depositing an uncured electrically insulative gasket material onto theconductive sheet into a plurality of the areas, the gasket materialbeing deposited to define at least one discrete pattern within therespective deposited areas, the respective discrete patterns coveringless than a total of their respective areas;

curing the deposited gasket material;

cutting and forming a plurality of discrete first terminal housingmembers from the areas of the conductive sheet, the respective firstterminal housing members comprising at least a portion of one of thediscrete patterns of gasket material;

providing a discrete electrically conductive second terminal housingmember in facing juxtaposition to one of the first terminal housingmembers;

providing an anode and a cathode having a separator and electrolytepositioned therebetween; the anode, cathode, separator and electrolytebeing positioned intermediate the juxtaposed first and second terminalhousing members; the anode being positioned to electrically connect withone of the first or second terminal housing members and the cathodebeing positioned to electrically connect with the other of the first orsecond terminal housing members; and

crimping the first and second terminal housing members together into anenclosed battery housing with the-gasket material being interposedbetween the first and second terminal housing members to provide afluid-tight seal and to provide electrical insulation therebetween.

Research culminating in the invention disclosed herein also resulted inother inventions. These other inventions are the subject of other U.S.patents which spawned from patent applications filed on the same day ofthe patent application from which this U.S. patent matured. These otherpatent applications are U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/206,051,"Method Of Producing Button-Type Batteries And Spring-Biased ConcaveButton-Type Battery", listing John Tuttle and Mark E. Tuttle asinventors; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/205,611, "Button-TypeBattery With Improved Separator And Gasket Construction", listing PeterM. Blonsky and Mark E. Tuttle as inventors; and U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/205,957, "Button-Type Battery Having Bendable Construction,and Angled Button-Type Battery", listing Mark E. Tuttle and Peter M.Blonsky as inventors. These co-filed patent applications and resultingpatents are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully includedherein.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1-9 illustrate one preferred method offorming a button-type battery in accordance with the invention. Theprocess starts in the utilization of an electrically conductive sheet 10having an exposed outer surface 12. An example and preferred materialfor sheet 10 is Type 304 stainless steel having a nominal thickness of 4mils (0.1016 mm). Outer surface 12 of sheet 10 can be considered asbeing divisible into a plurality of areas 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e, etc.,which are collectively referred to as areas 14.

Conductive sheet 10 feeds to a deposition station 16 (FIG. 1) whereuncured electrically insulative gasket material is deposited into areas14 passing therebeneath. Such material is deposited to define at leastone discrete pattern within the respective deposited areas 14, with therespective discrete patterns covering less than a total of theirrespective areas 14. An example and preferred gasket material ispolymeric material, such as epoxy, which will effectively bond to outersurface 12. Most preferred are ultraviolet light curable epoxies, suchas the many types available from Electronic Materials, Inc. ofBrookfield, Conn. Specific examples are provided below. Alternately, thegasket can be formed of other insulative materials, such as polyimide.In the preferred illustrated embodiment, the uncured insulative gasketmaterial is provided in substantially liquid form by screen printingtechnique to precisely define the discrete patterns. FIGS. 1 and 2 showsuch preferred discrete patterns in the form of rings or donuts 18,preferably 1 mil (0.0254 mm) in thickness. The pattern deposited gasketmaterial is subsequently allowed to cure.

Where the deposited material comprises ultraviolet light curable epoxy,sheet 10 is fed downstream from deposition station 16 to ultravioletlight curing station 20. One advantage in using ultraviolet light curedepoxy is a rapid and controllable cure rate as compared to other typesof epoxy, resinous or plastic materials which cure by other means, suchas cooling. As an example, ultraviolet light cured epoxy can cure in afew seconds. This is highly advantageous when rapid, substantiallycomplete curing of the gasket material is desired prior to cutting andforming operations, as in the preferred embodiment of the invention.Rapid curing also reduces manufacturing time.

Sheet 10 passes from curing station 20 (FIG. 1) to a cutting and formingstation 22 (FIG. 3). There, a plurality of discrete first terminalhousing members are cut and formed from individual areas 14 ofconductive sheet 10, with the respective first terminal housing memberscomprising at least a portion of one of the discrete patterns of gasketmaterial. Specifically, station 22 comprises a cutting and forming toolhaving a ring die cutter 24 having an inner diameter that is preferablyless than the outer diameter of ring shapes 18. Ring cutter 24 thereforecuts through the ring shapes 18 to ensure that the gasket materialextends to the edges of the first terminal housing members. A centralforming press 26 is sized to engage ring shapes 18 midway between theirinner and outer circular peripheries.

The cutting and forming tool of station 22 is operated to form and cutmaterial from sheet 10 to produce a plurality of discrete first terminalhousing members from sheet 10, such as the one terminal housing member28 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. In the illustrated preferredembodiment, the cutting and forming defines a container having a 90°peripheral bend 30 extending continuously about a circular base 32upwardly at 90°, thus defining sealing peripheral portions 25. Theillustrated forming action includes bending of the adhered gasketmaterial, and incorporation of a portion of each of rings 18 originallydeposited on sheet 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, first terminal housing member 28 is provided with acathode 33, porous separator 34, anode 35 and liquid electrolyte 36,which can be of conventional construction. For example, in the reducedto practice models, cathode 33 is formed of a compressed tablet madefrom a combination of manganese (IV) oxide, carbon, and teflon powder.An example preferred thickness of cathode 33 is 8 mils (0.2032 mm).Separator 34 is a woven or porous polymeric material, such aspolyethylene, polypropylene, or teflon. An example preferred thicknessof separator 34 is 1 mil (0.0254 mm). Anode 35 is formed of elementallithium provided on a copper backed foil. An example thickness of anode35 is 2 mils (0.0508 mm).

An example electrolyte 36 comprises a solution of propylene carbonateand ethylene glycol dimethylether, having dissolved lithiumtetrafluoroborate. Suitable electrolyte components are supplied byAldrich Chemical Company of Milwaukee, Wis. The volume of electrolyte 36provided within first terminal housing member 28 is preferably gauged tofill the substantial void within housing member 28, yet not so great toleak out upon crimp sealing the battery assembly.

Referring further to FIG. 6, a separately formed discrete electricallyconductive second terminal housing member 38 is provided in facingjuxtaposition to first terminal housing member 28. An example materialfor second housing member 38 would again be Type 304 stainless steelhaving a thickness of 4 mils (0.1016 mm). The illustrated anode, cathodeand separator and electrolyte are positioned intermediate first housingmember 28 and second housing member 38. Anode 35 is positioned toultimately electrically contact or otherwise electrically connect withsecond housing member 38, while cathode 33 is positioned to electricallycontact or otherwise electrically connect with first housing member 28.

Referring to FIG. 7, second housing member 38 is pressed downwardlysomewhat while sealing peripheral portions 25 are further bent inwardlyfrom 90° about peripheral bend 30. In the preferred and illustratedembodiment, the initial bend past 90° is by an additional 30°. Thispartial crimp effectively, if only temporarily, holds second terminalhousing member 38 in a desired position with anode 35, separator 34 andcathode 33 therebeneath. Further, this initial bend past 90° isunderstood to temporarily impart arcuate concavity to circular baseportion 32 in the illustrated upward direction. This results from acombination of the thickness of sheet 10 (FIG. 1) and the radius of bend30 being in combination effectively small that the resultant compressivestresses cause such upward contraction. An example radius of curvaturein accordance with the above described preferred embodiment is 3.5 mils(0.0889 mm). The concave bending is believed to be temporary becausecontinued bending of the peripheral portions of an empty first terminalhousing member results in flattening of the arc and overall lessindentation.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, sealing peripheral portions 25 of firstterminal housing member 28 are further bent about peripheral bend 30 toform a single continuous peripheral bend which effectively crimps firstand second terminal housing members 28 and 38 together. Such effectivelyforms an enclosed battery housing 75 with gasket material in the form ofrings 18 being interposed between such first and second terminal housingmembers to provide a fluid-tight seal and to provide electricalinsulation therebetween. A battery made in accordance with the aboveexample thickness components will have a finished total thickness of 0.5mm (19.7 mils).

Modifications of the above described method are also of coursecontemplated, with the invention only being limited by the accompanyingclaims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine ofequivalents. By way of example only, the method of depositing gasketmaterial onto sheet 10 prior to cutting and forming could comprisemultiple deposition steps whereby multiple layers of gasket material aresuccessively layered onto the respective sheet areas in the shape of theone discrete pattern. For example, ring 18 could comprise multiplethinner layers applied in multiple screen printing stations, or bymultiple passes of each area 14 within station 16.

Further, the multiple layers might be deposited to produce differentcompositions within the finished shape. For example, FIG. 10 shows analternate ring 18a having a lower portion 19 comprised of a differentmaterial than an upper portion 27. Each portion 19 and 27 could ofcourse be independently provided by a separate successive layeringtechnique as described above. Utilizing different materials enables thebattery designer to tailor or enhance the construction for differentapplications. For example, material of layer 27 in the finishedconstruction is folded over to directly connect with the opposing outerterminal member. Material of portion 27 might accordingly be constructedof a comparatively soft conformal material to assure appropriateengagement with the outer opposing electrode. Likewise, material ofportion 19 might comprise a comparatively structurally harder material.Ultraviolet light curable material of different resultant hardnesses areavailable from Electronics Materials, Inc., of Brookfield, Conn.

A further alternate technique for depositing electrically insulativegasket material onto sheet 10 in the form of a ring 18b is describedwith reference to FIG. 11. Such comprises depositing gasket material todefine multiple patterns per area, such as the illustrated concentricand touching rings 21 and 23. The composition of such rings could alsobe different. The constructions of FIGS. 10 and 11 are shown to haveflat upper surfaces, although a varying upper topography and any of anumber of shapes could also be constructed.

The above described embodiment deposits gasket material onto the onelower terminal which functions as the initial container for retainingthe internal battery components during crimping. The opposing batteryterminal housing, such as terminal housing 28, could alternately bedeposited with a desired pattern of insulative gasket material. Furtheras shown in FIG. 12, insulating gasket material could be provided onboth the first and second terminal housing members in such a manner thatthe collective gasket material overlaps when the first and secondhousing members are juxtaposed and crimped. Specifically, FIG. 12 showsan alternate assembled battery 75a. Here, gasket material of a ringpattern 18c is deposited to half the thickness of ring pattern 18 of thefirst described embodiment. Layers 40 and 41 of gasket material are alsoprovided on the peripheral portion of second terminal housing member 38.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described inlanguage more or less specific as to structural and methodical features.It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited tothe specific features shown and described, since the means hereindisclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect.The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms ormodifications within the proper scope of the appended claimsappropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine ofequivalents.

We claim:
 1. A method of forming a button-type battery comprising thefollowing steps:providing an electrically conductive sheet having anexposed surface, the exposed surface being divisible into a plurality ofsheet areas; depositing an uncured electrically insulative gasketmaterial which comprises ultraviolet light curable epoxy onto theconductive sheet into a plurality of the sheet areas, the gasketmaterial being deposited to define at least one discrete pattern withineach respective sheet area in which electrically insulative material isdeposited, wherein each respective discrete pattern covers less than atotal of each respective sheet area; curing the deposited gasketmaterial by exposing the gasket material to ultraviolet light; cuttingand forming a plurality of discrete first terminal housing members fromthe areas of the conductive sheet, the respective first terminal housingmembers comprising at least a portion of one of the discrete patterns ofgasket material; providing a discrete electrically conductive secondterminal housing member in facing juxtaposition to one of the firstterminal housing members; providing an anode and a cathode having aseparator and electrolyte positioned therebetween; the anode, cathode,separator and electrolyte being positioned intermediate the juxtaposedfirst and second terminal housing members; the anode being positioned toelectrically connect with one of the first or second terminal housingmembers and the cathode being positioned to electrically connect withthe other of the first or second terminal housing members; and crimpingthe first and second terminal housing members together into an enclosedbattery housing with the gasket material being interposed between thefirst and second terminal housing members to provide a fluid-tight sealand to provide electrical insulation therebetween.
 2. A method offorming a button-type battery comprising the following steps:providingan electrically conductive sheet having an exposed surface, the exposedsurface being divisible into a plurality of sheet areas; depositinguncured electrically insulative gasket material onto the conductivesheet into a plurality of the sheet areas by successively layeringmultiple gasket material layers onto the respective sheet areas in theshape of at least one discrete pattern within each respective sheet areain which electrically insulative material is deposited, wherein eachrespective discrete pattern covers less than a total of each respectivesheet area, the multiple layers comprising at least two differentcompositions, the two different compositions comprising differentultraviolet light curable epoxies; curing the deposited compositions byexposing the compositions to ultraviolet light; cutting and forming aplurality of discrete first terminal housing members from the areas ofthe conductive sheet, the respective first terminal housing memberscomprising at least a portion of one of the discrete patterns of gasketmaterial; providing a discrete electrically conductive second terminalhousing member in facing juxtaposition to one of the first terminalhousing members; providing an anode and a cathode having a separator andelectrolyte positioned therebetween; the anode, cathode, separator andelectrolyte being positioned intermediate the juxtaposed first andsecond terminal housing members; the anode being positioned toelectrically connect with one of the first or second terminal housingmembers and the cathode being positioned to electrically connect withthe other of the first or second terminal housing members; and crimpingthe first and second terminal housing members together into an enclosedbattery housing with the gasket material being interposed between thefirst and second terminal housing members to provide a fluid-tight sealand to provide electrical insulation therebetween.
 3. A method offorming a button-type battery comprising the following steps:providingan electrically conductive sheet having an exposed surface, the exposedsurface being divisible into a plurality of sheet areas; depositinguncured electrically insulative gasket material onto the conductivesheet into a plurality of the sheet areas, the gasket material beingdeposited to define at least two patterns within each respective sheetarea in which electrically insulative material is deposited, the twopatterns comprising different electrically insulating gasketcompositions, wherein the at least two patterns in a respective sheetarea comprise a combined area which is less than a total of therespective sheet area in which they are deposited; curing the depositedgasket material; cutting and forming a plurality of discrete firstterminal housing members from the areas of the conductive sheet, therespective first terminal housing members comprising at least a portionof one of the discrete patterns of gasket material; providing a discreteelectrically conductive second terminal housing member in facingjuxtaposition to one of the first terminal housing members; providing ananode and a cathode having a separator and electrolyte positionedtherebetween; the anode, cathode, separator and electrolyte beingpositioned intermediate the juxtaposed first and second terminal housingmembers; the anode being positioned to electrically connect with one ofthe first or second terminal housing members and the cathode beingpositioned to electrically connect with the other of the first or secondterminal housing members; and crimping the first and second terminalhousing members together into an enclosed battery housing with thegasket material being interposed between the first and second terminalhousing members to provide a fluid-tight seal and to provide electricalinsulation therebetween.
 4. The method of forming a button-type batteryof claim 3 wherein the two patterns contact one another.
 5. The methodof forming a button-type battery of claim 3 wherein the two patterns arerings of different size, one of the rings being positioned inside theother ring.
 6. A method of forming a plurality of battery terminalhousing members comprising the following steps:providing an electricallyconductive sheet having an exposed surface, the exposed surface beingdivisible into a plurality of sheet areas; depositing an uncuredelectrically insulative gasket material which comprises ultravioletlight curable epoxy onto the conductive sheet into a plurality of thesheet areas, the gasket material being deposited to define at least onediscrete pattern within each respective sheet area in which electricallyinsulative material is deposited, wherein each respective discretepattern covers less than a total of each respective sheet area; curingthe deposited gasket material by exposing the gasket material toultraviolet light; and cutting and forming a plurality of discretebattery terminal housing members from the areas of the conductive sheet,the respective discrete terminal housing members comprising at least aportion of one of the discrete patterns of gasket material; the formingincluding bending the discrete first terminal housing members intodesired battery terminal shapes.
 7. A method of forming a plurality ofbattery terminal housing members comprising the followingsteps:providing an electrically conductive sheet having an exposedsurface, the exposed surface being divisible into a plurality of sheetareas; depositing an uncured electrically insulative gasket materialonto the conductive sheet by successively layering multiple gasketmaterial layers onto the respective sheet areas in the shape of at leastone discrete pattern within each respective sheet area in whichelectrically insulative material is deposited, the multiple layerscomprising at least two different compositions, the two differentcompositions comprising different ultraviolet light curable epoxies,wherein each respective discrete pattern covers less than a total ofeach respective sheet area; curing the deposited gasket material byexposing the compositions to ultraviolet light; and cutting and forminga plurality of discrete battery terminal housing members from the areasof the conductive sheet, the respective discrete terminal housingmembers comprising at least a portion of one of the discrete patterns ofgasket material; the forming including bending the discrete firstterminal housing members into desired battery terminal shapes.
 8. Amethod of forming a plurality of battery terminal housing memberscomprising the following steps:providing an electrically conductivesheet having an exposed surface, the exposed surface being divisibleinto a plurality of sheet areas; depositing an uncured electricallyinsulative gasket material onto the conductive sheet into a plurality ofthe sheet areas, the gasket material being deposited to define at leasttwo patterns within each respective sheet area in which electricallyinsulative material is deposited, the two patterns comprising differentelectrically insulating gasket compositions, wherein the at least twopatterns in a respective sheet area comprise a combined area which isless than a total of the respective sheet area in which they aredeposited; curing the deposited gasket material; and cutting and forminga plurality of discrete battery terminal housing members from the areasof the conductive sheet, the respective discrete terminal housingmembers comprising at least a portion of one of the discrete patterns ofgasket material; the forming including bending the discrete firstterminal housing members into desired battery terminal shapes.
 9. Themethod of forming a plurality of battery terminal housing members ofclaim 8 wherein the two patterns contact one another.
 10. The method offorming a plurality of battery terminal housing members of claim 8wherein the two patterns are rings of different size, one of the ringsbeing positioned inside the other ring.
 11. A method of forming batteryterminal housing members comprising the following steps:providing anelectrically conductive sheet having an exposed surface; depositing anuncured electrically insulative gasket material onto the exposedsurface, the gasket material comprising ultraviolet light curable epoxy;curing the deposited gasket material by exposing the gasket material toultraviolet light; and forming the sheet into a desired battery terminalhousing member shape.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the method ofdepositing the gasket material comprises screen printing liquid epoxyonto the sheet in a desired pattern.
 13. A method of forming a pluralityof battery terminal housing members comprising the followingsteps:providing an electrically conductive sheet having an exposedsurface, the exposed surface being divisible into a plurality of sheetareas; and, depositing electrically insulative gasket material onto theconductive sheet into a plurality of the sheet areas, the gasketmaterial being deposited to define at least two patterns within eachrespective sheet area in which electrically insulative material isdeposited, the two patterns comprising different electrically insulatinggasket compositions, wherein the at least two patterns in a respectivesheet area comprise a combined area which is less than a total of therespective sheet area in which they are deposited; and forming aplurality of battery terminal housing members from the electricallyconductive sheet.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the two patternscontact each other.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein the two patternsare rings of different sizes, one of the rings being positioned insidethe other ring.
 16. A method of forming battery terminal housing memberscomprising the following steps:providing an electrically conductivesheet; depositing a ultraviolet light curable epoxy onto the conductivesheet; exposing the deposited epoxy to ultraviolet light; and formingthe electrically conductive sheet into a terminal housing member. 17.The method of claim 16 wherein the step of forming a terminal housingmember comprises deforming the conductive sheet and wherein the step ofexposing the deposited epoxy to ultraviolet light occurs before the stepof deforming the electrically conductive sheet.